West Lothian pensioner left with 'bone sticking out of arm' after cyclist startles her

The husband of a West Lothian woman who was allegedly startled by an ‘inconsiderate’ cyclist which led to her breaking her arm has called on those using public paths to be more thoughtful.

The 71-year-old man detailed the painful experience his wife endured when she fell over and suffered a compound fracture in her arm after she was startled by a cyclist ringing their bell directly behind her.

The couple are both retired teachers and regularly walk along the Union Canal in Linlithgow.

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The incident took place at around 8pm on Tuesday, April 30 when the mum was walking back towards Linlithgow from the Avon aqueduct with her friend.

At first she thought she had broken her wrist, but after her husband and their son took her to St John’s Hospital in Livingston, it was revealed that her injury was far worse.

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A nurse had found that she had suffered from a compound fracture that saw the bone in her arm break through the skin and cause bleeding. She had to then undergo surgery to repair the damage to her arm.

“On Tuesday evening she was walking back towards Linlithgow from the Avon aqueduct with her friend,” said her husband. “At around 8pm a male cyclist suddenly rang his bell right behind them.

“My wife was on the canal side and got such a fright she stumbled and fell. The cyclist stopped briefly, perhaps not realising the damage he had caused.

“She thought she might have a broken wrist and her friend phoned me. My son and I drove out to Woodcockdale and walked about 250 metres along the canal and got my wife to her feet, before we walked her back to the car and then drove to St John's in Livingston.

“In A&E the sign said there was an hour and a half wait for triage and four and a half hours to see a doctor however we were seen by a nurse within 10 minutes. As soon as she rolled my wife's sleeve up they realised it was more serious than a broken wrist and was a compound fracture with the bone having broken the skin and had caused bleeding.

“She was x-rayed and plastered by midnight and transport was arranged to transfer us to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. I returned home about 1am

“She had an operation on Wednesday afternoon, which lasted about four hours, having a plate and screws put in her forearm. My son and I visited and she was much improved and extremely grateful to the NHS for the treatment she received.

“The doctors wanted to keep her in for another night to monitor for infection so she will be discharged tomorrow (Friday).”

The husband often cycles along the canal path but says he is conscious of trying to give walkers as much notice as possible that he is about to pass.

He adds that he regularly witnesses a ‘significant minority’ who do not show courteous behaviour towards their fellow path users.

He adds that he hopes that those using the path can learn from this incident so that someone else does not suffer painful injuries in the future.

“We both use the canal a lot and in my opinion the vast majority of walkers, cyclists, joggers and dog walkers behave responsibly,” he added. “However there are a significant minority whose behaviour is less than perfect.

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“Some cyclists do not use their bell to warn of approach or leave it until the last minute; some dog walkers have dogs running loose. Some joggers and walkers have earphones and cannot hear if a cyclist approaches.